Winning is hard! Mike Jacoutot shared a blog some time ago about this very topic (See Losing Is Easy…Winning Is Hard). In today's business environment, marked by tightening budgets and heightened economic uncertainty, sales professionals face significant challenges in securing new meetings and closing deals. Companies (specifically our prospects and customers) are increasingly vigilant about expenditures, focusing intently on cost reduction. This shift necessitates not only a strategic adjustment in sales approaches but also a renewed emphasis on the core skills of selling.
What steps can we take to create more influence in this difficult market environment?
Consistent Prospecting Outreach
In the current economic climate, the usual prospecting efforts often yield half the results, doubling the effort required to achieve the same outcomes. This scenario underscores the critical importance of consistent prospecting outreach. While historically, the magic “average” number of touches to get a meeting was around 8, recent data suggests it takes between 12-18 with an average of 13.4. Think about that –
13.4 touches ON AVERAGE simply to get engagement from a prospect
Sales professionals must be more persistent and creative in their approaches, which leads to the importance of a diverse outreach strategy.
Leverage the Butler Street 12 Week, 16 Touch Top of Mind Program
An effective strategy to maintain engagement with potential clients is the Butler Street 12-week, 16-touch program. This comprehensive approach combines various communication methods to stay at the forefront of prospects' minds. The plan includes:
ChatGPT: Utilizing generative AI, like ChatGPT, can help in drafting personalized emails, preparing responses, and even scripting outbound calls. This tool assists in maintaining a high level of personalization and relevance in communications. It also puts you at the forefront of the biggest and most challenging top-of-mind challenges for each specific decision-maker to whom you are prospecting.
Phone Calls: Traditional yet powerful, phone calls add a personal touch that digital communication often lacks. They are essential for deeper engagement and for addressing complex questions or concerns. Often, salespeople we train communicate that people simply don’t pick up their phones or listen to voicemails anymore. Our question to that is, how do you know? We aren’t certain what preference prospects have when we do our outreach, so we MUST PICK UP THE PHONE as part of our overall strategy.
Social Selling: This involves using social media platforms not just for outreach but for building relationships and establishing thought leadership. By sharing insightful content and participating in industry discussions, salespeople can attract and engage more prospects. Don’t forget to tag your most important prospects when you are sharing best practices, or areas of strategy that you know are critical to their most important outcomes.
Implementing this program with intention and discipline ensures that salespeople will effectively nurture leads and build a pipeline that compensates for the increased difficulty in securing immediate sales.
Live The Four Cornerstones of Success: Attitude, Personal Accountability, Perseverance, and positive Habits Every Day
While the economic landscape presents undeniable challenges to sales professionals, it also offers an opportunity to refine and strengthen selling techniques. Butler Street has helped upskill salespeople, leaders, recruiters, and account managers with repeatable processes, coaching tips, effective use of AI, and best practices. By doubling down on prospecting activities, employing a structured multi-touch program like the Butler Street method, and grounding work in the Four Cornerstones of Success®, salespeople can navigate these turbulent times effectively. It’s not just a survival strategy but a route to thriving in the sales field. We can help! Contact us to get started.